The people who approved the RTIC are on this November’s ballot. So is the sheriff who built the county network it plugs into. This page tracks what every candidate has said and done, and documents the silence, dated, where they’ve said nothing. If a candidate goes on record after my last update, tell me with a link or recording.
Dates that matter: register by Oct 9 (same-day registration available during early voting) · early voting Oct 15–31 · Election Day Tuesday, Nov 3. (NC State Board of Elections) Asheville’s municipal races moved to even years; the primary already happened March 3.
Mayor: the referendum
Kim Roney. The record: sole no vote on the Fusus interlocal (Jan 2023), the first RTIC grant (Mar 2025), and the RTIC/Axon package (May 2026). Submitted 29 written questions to APD that were never publicly answered; consulted the ACLU-NC and EFF. At the May 28 debate: concerns about “a billionaire-owned, AI-fueled, for-profit tech company… working with ICE and Homeland Security and also the police department to surveil people without a warrant.” On the May 12 process: “21 people were sent home without the opportunity to speak.” (BPR debate coverage · campaign site)
Esther Manheimer (incumbent, seeking a 4th term). The record: voted for every stage of the buildout. Frames the $1.14M as fiscal efficiency: the city already pays the Sheriff’s Office for Fusus access, and the grant lets Asheville “pay for our own.” On the transparency criticism: council needs private discussions too: “That’s not a transparency issue. That’s a functioning issue.” Her May 17 campaign launch drew RTIC protesters. (BPR · WLOS · campaign site)
City Council: three seats, six candidates, near-total silence
The March primary cut twenty candidates to six. Three are incumbents who voted yes on May 12. Not one of the six is campaigning on the RTIC, for or against.
| Candidate | RTIC record | Campaign position |
|---|---|---|
| Maggie Ullman (i) | Voted yes, May 12 (6–1, confirmed on video) | No public position found (as of Aug 17, 2026) |
| Antanette Mosley (i, Vice Mayor) | Voted yes, May 12 (6–1, confirmed on video) | No public position found (as of Aug 17, 2026) |
| Sheneika Smith (i) | Voted yes, May 12 (6–1, confirmed on video); in 2025 suggested a community forum on the RTIC that was never held | No public position found (as of Aug 17, 2026) |
| Drew Ball (county commissioner) | — | No public position found (as of Aug 17, 2026) |
| Keith Young (former council member) | — | Closest thing to a stance: his DSA questionnaire calls for a “local firewall” so city government isn’t “feeding a pipeline into enforcement through data, technology, or informal collaboration,” plus “strong privacy and data minimization rules” and warrant requirements. Never names the RTIC, Fusus, or Flock. |
| Jeffrey Burroughs | — | No public position found (as of Aug 17, 2026). Platform: Helene recovery, housing, small business. (site) |
The questionnaire gap: not one 2026 candidate questionnaire in Buncombe County (Asheville DSA’s, BPR’s, or the Chamber’s) asked a single question about surveillance. An August candidate forum at Shiloh covered seniors and displacement; surveillance never came up. The most consequential technology decision this council made in years is invisible in the campaign to replace it. That only changes if voters ask.
Sheriff: the county camera network is on the ballot
Quentin Miller (D, incumbent, seeking a third term). Built the county’s Fusus real-time intelligence center: ~1,800–2,000 cameras including ~1,500 in county schools. Publicly credits it for crime reductions. (WLOS) Nuance the record should hold: Miller has also taken documented stands limiting federal reach: questioning ICE detainers on constitutional grounds and barring ICE from county schools without court orders. (Bolts) The county’s camera network, meanwhile, keeps growing with no independent oversight.
Gary Parris (R, Navy veteran, former BCSO). No public position found on Fusus, the camera network, or plate readers (as of Aug 17, 2026). (WLOS)
The rest of the ballot
- District Attorney: Todd Williams, who wrote a letter supporting the RTIC, is retiring. Martin Moore won the decisive Democratic primary and will be Buncombe’s first Black DA. No public position found on the RTIC (as of Aug 17, 2026). (BPR)
- County Commission (funds the Sheriff’s Fusus network). D1: Anna Stearns (D) vs. Rob Stetson (R). D2 (open): Lonnie Israel (D) vs. Greg Parks (R). D3: Al Whitesides (D, i) unopposed. No surveillance positions found for any candidate (as of Aug 17, 2026).
- US House, NC-11: Chuck Edwards, who earmarked the RTIC’s $1.14M, withdrew August 5 after a House Ethics Committee report. The GOP substituted state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom; she faces Democrat Jamie Ager. Neither has a public surveillance record (as of Aug 17, 2026). (BPR · WLOS)
- NC General Assembly (Buncombe). House 114: Eric Ager (D, i). House 115: Lindsey Prather (D, i) vs. Anthony Penland (R). House 116: Brian Turner (D, i). Senate 49: Julie Mayfield (D, i) vs. C.J. Domingo (R). The legislature just made highway plate readers permanent statewide; no Buncombe legislator has a found public position on it (as of Aug 17, 2026).
Put the question to them
No moderator is going to ask. Voters can: at forums, by email, at the door. Two questions that can’t be answered with a slogan:
- “Would you vote for an ordinance requiring council approval and annual public reporting for all surveillance technology, yes or no?” (This is CCOPS, adopted in ~26 US cities.)
- “The final Axon contract wasn’t public before the May 12 vote. Will you commit to releasing it and the RTIC’s quarterly audits?”
Get an answer? Send it with a link, date, and context via Get Involved and I’ll add it here, favorable or not. That’s the deal that keeps this page trustworthy.